The statue is in memory of the story of the Adachi Samurai 遠藤盛遠 Endo Morito.
Endo fell in love with 袈裟御前 Kesa Gozen, but the love was not fullfilled, since she was married. He ended up killing her with his own sword, as she had lured him to a room to kill her husband, but was there herself to end her tragic love situation.
After her death he became a priest and took the name of Mongaku 文覚.
He often took ablutions for his sin under the waterfall, which eventually was named after him - 遠藤ヶ滝 Endogataki - Endo Waterfall.

- quoteMount Adatara (安達太良山 Adatara-yama)
is a stratovolcano on the main island of Honshu in Japan.
It is located about 15 kilometres southwest of the city of Fukushima and east of Mount Bandai. Its last known eruption was in 1996.

The mountain is actually multiple volcanoes forming a broad, forested massif. It abuts Mount Azuma, a dormant volcano to the north. The peak is called Minowa-yama. It is the highest peak in the Adatara range, which stretches about 9 km in a north-south direction.

Godai Myo-O 五大明王 Five Great Myo-O
Godai-son 五大尊 Five Great Wisdom Kings

godai ... 地水火風空の五大
The Five Great Elements of the Universe
Godai Nyorai 五大如来 The Five Great Buddhas of Wisdom
Godairiki Bosatsu 五大力菩薩 Five Bosatsu of Great Power
- Fünf Bosatsu Gewaltiger Kraft
Gohoo bosatsu 五方菩薩 Five Bosatsu of the Five Directions
Go Himitsu Bosatsu 五秘密菩薩曼荼羅 Five Secret Bosatsu

This grouping is common in esoteric Buddhism. Ceremonies in front of these statues were used to pray for the destruction of a personal enemy or for political intrugues, for example during the war of the Genji and the Heike, where five priests at the temple Ninna-Ji in prayed to these five statues (godan no hoo 五壇の法) to win the war.

- quoteGodaison (Godai Myoo)
are five great Myoo placed in five directions, which is discussed in a set of two scrolls of "Ninnou Gokoku Hannya Haramitta Kyou" translated by a Chinese Buddhist priest Amoghavajra (Fukuu) and a scroll of "Shomuge Kyou" and consists ofFudo (center), Kozanze (Gozanze) (east), Gundari (south), Daiitoku (west) and Kongoyasha (north ).

The images of Godaison are drawn as five separate paintings have been seen from the early Heian period and some examples such as Godaison-zo held at To-ji Temple in Kyoto are known. However, just like this painting, the style of Godai Myoo represented in one painting (Fudo Myoo at the center and others in each of the four directions) was established later than that and the images in Hakubyou (ink line painting) first appeared in the period between the late Heian period and the early Kamakura period.

In terms of the style, Fudo has a similar but more ample body than the Ao Fudo held in Shorenin in Kyoto and the faces are similar. It indicates an iconography of Genchoyou (Gencho's style). The halo with flames on the back is divided into seven parts as if they were the flames of a Karura (a fire-breathing creature from Japanese Hindu-Buddhist mythology). Two images of Doji have a style mixed with those held in Horaku-ji Temple in Osaka and Ruri-ji Temple (also known as Ruridera) in Hyogo. (Seitaka Doji is the same as Ni-Doji with a style of Hakubyo Genchoyou held at Godai-ji Temple.) The iconographical features of other four Myoo are very similar to the four Myoo excluding Fudo among Godaison in Godai-ji Temple and is also the same as the iconography of Enjinyou contained in "Besson Zakki." In a word, this painting was drawn in a newly established style by combining multiple styles of iconographies.

Unlike Ao Fudo, no colorful or fine patterns are applied to Fudo Myoo. The expressions such as the heavy colors, strongly applied Kumadori (shading) and expressive ink lines are rather different from the Buddhist paintings in the Heian period and indicate unique the features of the powerfully expressed Buddhist paintings in the Kamakura period.
- - - - - Look at the painting here :- source : www.emuseum.jp/detail

In the Tendai sect, Uzusama Myo-O 鳥枢渋摩明王 is mostly depictede in the North. This version comes from China of the T'ang period, not from India. Other scriptures state that the five great wisdom kings where established in Japan.- source - 五大明王

- quoteLessons on Practice from the Martial Arts
One of the principle attributes of a martial artist is Fudo Shin. This means to have the immovable spirit of Fudo Myo-o, who is one of the protector gods within the popular Japanese Shingon school of Buddhism. At the gates of hell he waits to assist those who have strayed from the path. He assists them with the rope of truth and his sword cuts through delusion to help those in need of enlightenment.

Fudo is a Japanese term often used in Buddhism, especially in Zen and Esoteric Buddhism (Mikkyo) to represent a mental state -- one of immovability, not physically or literally, but in mind, one that is not captured, or moved, or dwells, or loiters on a thought or in a focus - a total unobstructed awareness and focus on everything, thus not moving with, or fixed upon something (limited by a focused attention).

In the martial arts the character "shin," meaning spirit, heart or will, is often added to the root "fudo" to become "fudoshin," a term meaning calm spirit, even when faced with danger, without fear or confusion, that does not dwell or become fixed on anything. This was the highest attainment of spiritual skill only attainable when the mind is totally focused on the totality of sensory input and free of thoughts and emotions - detached but aware and present. A related term "mushin" also is often used to mean "without mind" (not occupied by thought or emotion). (1)

Using the "fudo" root, other related terms include "fudo-chi," meaning immovable spirit or wisdom that can't be influenced, or confused, "fudotai" or immovable body, and "fudoshisei" or immovable stance and "fudo-dachi" or "immovable stance" also sometimes referred to as a "preparation stance" (as in the initial and final stance in kata, one that allows the participant freedom of movement and action in any direction).

The concept of "Fudo" is also important to martial artists. The famous Zen priest Takuan in his famous three part treatise titled "Fudochi Shinmyoroku" ("The Mysterious Records of Immovable Wisdom") identifies Fudo-Myo-o attributes as they apply to Japanese (Samurai) swordsmanship. He notes the Fudo Myo-o's grasp of the sword in his right hand, his body standing firmly with mind immovable (detached and not distracted), looking at something but not stopping the mind during a flow of action or combat. He warned the Samurai against stopping the mind on a particular object, emotion or thought, noting that such stopping clutters (stops) the mind, something that curtailed the performance of technique.

The most famous Japanese swordsman known today is Miyamoto Masashi. He too was influenced by Fudo Myo-o. "Fudo" and its derivative concepts (noted above) represent a central concept in Masashi's strategy of combat (that reflect Takuan's tenets), (3) ideas he later encapsulated in his famous text on strategy, "The Book of Five Rings."

Even today many martial artists use Zazen (seated Zen meditation), chants (some derived from Esoteric Buddhism), and other to clear, fortify and purify the mind. Standing and/or meditating under a cold waterfall is another similar practice. Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, is famous for this practice (which he termed Misogi) of ritual purification. (4)

It should be noted, however, that in modern times most martial artists who use these practices do so to enhance their mental and spiritual discipline, and to clarity their awareness and mind, ends that are separate from any religion or religious doctrine.

Modern martial artists also express similar concepts of the immovable mind. Mas Oyama (founder of Kyokushinkai karate and one of my first karate teachers), for example, used to tell me that the ideal karate mind is that of a person who could walk through a burning building without fear -- a very Fudo Myo-o image.

Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura (founder of Seido Karate and my current karate teacher) has said that a true karate-ka must be present in the now, the present moment, totally absorbed in action, mind void of distraction (thought or emotion) and spirit supreme.

Author's Note:
Two other articles on FightingArts.com give practical advice related to the concept of "no mind." See: "Fighting Zen - How Meditation Can Enhance Your Fighting Skills" and is "Controlling The Flinch, The Blink and The Turn Away."

- - - Footnotes:
1-Mushin or "no mind" is also a very popular concept in Zen where meditation is used to free the mind of thought or emotions while simultaneously developing awareness, and focus, not on just one spot or image, but on everything perceived.

2-Few Samurai before the Edo period actually practiced Zen, although later it became popular.

3-Masashi is also noted for his brushwork and drawings, one being a remarkable 18 inch high wood carving he made of Fudo Myo-o. Masashi is also known for his practice of ritually purifying himself under ice cold waterfalls. There is no evidence, however, that Masashi actually practiced esoteric Mikkyo Buddhism in addition to his study of Zen, although he was influenced by Fudo Myo-o.

4-When I visited Ueshiba's summer retreat and dojo in Iwama, Japan in 1994 (later the home dojo of Seito Sensei), students talked about the waterfall in the nearby hills that Ueshiba has often used for this practice. _- source : www.fightingarts.com/reading

Said to be carved according to a design by Musashi, like a swordsman (kenkaku 剣客) holding the sword in both hands.
About 70 cm high, made from kusu 楠 camphor wood.
宮本武蔵が発案し彫像したと伝わる、剣客のように両手で剣を構えた勇壮な姿の不動明王像です。- source : www.ryu-sho.co.jp/products

- quoteThe Unfettered Mind:
Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master
William Scott Wilson

A religious teacher, painter, poet, calligrapher, gardener, and tea master, Takuan was familiar with all sorts of people and was able to reach all of them. Among the people he touched was the official swordsmanship instructor of the first three Tokugawa shoguns, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami Munenori, the youngest son of Yagyu Sekishusai Munetoshi, founder of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu hyoho (strategy and swordsmanship).

The Unfettered Mind is an excellent translation of several of Takuan's most significant works on Japanese martial arts. Even today, they are read by Japanese for their profound insights of the human condition and on the proper way to live one's life.

The first of these, Fudochi shinmyoroku (here, The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom) is a letter from Takuan to Munenori. It deals with the myriad practical, technical, psychological, and philosophical aspects of combat. It goes beyond them, however, to discuss how the swordsman can, by concentrating on his art, become an integrated human being.

The second essay in this collection, Reiroshu (The Clear Sound of Jewels), discusses the basic nature of humanity and how to discern what is correct and what is merely a product of personal desire, and extends the argument to knowing how to understand the balance of life and death and, very important for a warrior serving a feudal lord, when and how to die.

The final piece, Taiaki (Annals of the Sword of Tai-a), is an examination of the psychological aspects of combat, particularly in dealing with oneself and the opponent, and of overcoming the tendency of the mind to delude itself. In combat, this would lead to the exponent's death; in life, it precludes the individual from attaining a clear understanding of the nature of reality and attaining ultimate freedom from causality.- source : www.koryu.com/store

The densho of the Bujinkan Ryû
This “modern” densho should primarily be regarded as basic manual for daily training. It is not a translation of the original densho but an adaptation of the techniques of the individual schools taught in the Bujinkan. In the Japanese language, densho means transmission. Historical densho, which often have been composed in a cryptical way, are not suitable for daily training.

This book series is meant to be a modern transfer of an old tradition. The feature of this book is that the individual motion sequences are shown by means of illustrations in order to focus on the performance of the individual techniques and kata. Concise explanations are completing this work. The appearance and content are eminently suited as practical guide.